I took this to Israel and Guatemala and it did a fantastic job. I had trouble saving to the card but the rest of the features were "idiot proof." The ability to download to my laptop was easy and fast as was the recharging in other countries. The video quality was very good and will be useful for my career. The battery lasts a long time on a single charge and its size is great for discreet shots. The energy saving feature and the other options all work together to provide a good photo opps for non-professional photographers.